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There’s absolutely no denying that us Norn Irish are a gorgiz bunch.

I mean, would ya just look at the astounding array of aesthetic wonders we have produced over the years.

So what’s our secret? Well apart from a complexion enriching diet of potatoes, bread and dairy, Northern Ireland is home to a number of of exceptional beauty brands. We’re the birthplace of world-renowned cosmetic lines, as well as a wide range of little pretty hidden gems that are just getting on their feet.

However, we thought it was time to stop being so selfish with our beauty secrets, and instead, spread the good news far and wide so that everyone can at least try to be a as beyuuutiful as us. (Pah, good luck.)

 Northern Ireland’s Top 15 Beauty Brands

1. Vita Liberata

Have you seen those young ladies who swan about town doin ther shappin on a Saturday afternoon looking a bit like this?

Well those lot clearly haven’t heard of Vita Liberata. This tan brand was established in 2003 by local wonder woman Alyson Hogg who wanted to create self-tanning products that actually work. The brand has grown exponentially over the past few years and is stocked by an insane amount of chemists and salons. We use it and you should see us – our skin is flawless. Vitaliberata.co.uk.

2. Skinician

This is miracle skincare range, created by the geniuses behind  He-Shi tanning, is stocked in local salons up and down the country. The products use superior ingredients to ensure a noticeable result. A few months back I underwent a glycolic facial by Skinician, and I swear to God, afterwards, I looked 10 years younger. Which would make me 11. (ahem…) Europroducts.co.uk

3. Lucy Annabella Organics

If you haven’t heard of this brand, then grab your bank card, head to their website and prepare to file for bankruptcy on Monday morning. Their bath milks are just delicious (smelling, don’t drink them) and when you’ve lathered yourself in them, you’ll emerge smelling like an ethereal woodland fairy who has been napping in lavender for 30 years, rather than the slightly smelly office worker after an eight hour shift, that you really are.  Lucyannabella.com.

4. bBold Tan

Do us a favour. Take off your clothes and rub this all over your body (not if you’re reading this at work you MANIAC. Wait until you get home). Afterwards, you will emerge as a bronzed goddess. bBold is a local gem. It’s super easy to use and dries quickly, so you don’t have to stand still and naked in your bedroom for ages. (If you don’t want to.) B-bold.co.uk

5. Marble Hill

Marble Hill was created by this legend of a woman, Dr Maria McGee. All of the products are 100% natural which means no animal testing (Yay! Go bunnies!) and they are very effective in alleviating skin irritation caused by Dermatitis, Eczema and Psoriasis. Marble Hill don’t do much advertising etc because they rely on word of mouth, so do something nice today and share this post with someone who might use these products, because Marble Hill very much deserve it. Marblehillonline.co.uk

6. Beginnings by Karen Eakin

Lather yourself up real good with Beginnings luxury handmade products by Karen Eakin. Like Marble Hill, all of these products are natural, using things you can eat like avacado oil and shea butter. (But again, don’t actually eat them. I must be real hungry today.) They sell soap, oils, body butters, bath salt and gift sets. Beginningsoaps.co.uk

7. Super Facialist

Una Brennan has long been recognised as one of the best beauty therapists in Northern Ireland, so it was only natural she would launch her own range of skincare products which you’ve probably seen in Boots. My personal top pick (not that you asked) is the Miracle Makeover Facial Oil which smells like your granny, but in a nice childhood nostalgia way – not the stuffy nursing home way. It’s gorgeous. Superfacialist.co.uk.

8. Baby B Browne

Yes, it’s another tan on the list, but can you blame us. It’s been 15 years since we last saw the sun in Northern Ireland. And anyway, this one is amazing. The best thing about Baby B Browne is that it’s incredibly long lasting and because it reacts to your own skin pigment, it looks natural and it doesn’t do that patchy thing that self-tanners do. Babybbrowne.co.uk

9. Belfast Soap Company

Yet another product that looks like a dessert but AGAIN, don’t eat it. (Now you can’t sue us because I’ve warned ye.) Belfast Soap Company is a soap company from Belfast, in case you  didn’t guess.  Let me tell you, these guys LOVE planet earth. Not only are these artisan soaps 100% natural, the packaging is recyclable AND they give 10% of their profits to Friends of the Earth. Belfastsoapcompany.co.uk

10. B Perfect NI

See next time you’re walking through Castlecourt and you spot the B Perfect guys and girls opposite Debenhams, take a minute and look into their eyes. No, this is not some sort of weird hypnotic thing, I just really want you to see how good their brow and lash products are. They have a range of genius products but it’s the mascara that caught my eye (hahaha, caught my EYE. Get it?!!) It’s a transplanting gel with natural fibres that make your lashes so long that you feel like a sexy cartoon version of yourself. Bperfectcosmetics.com

11. Ciara Daly My Hero foundation brush

You know the way make up artists always go mad when you tell them you put your make up on with your fingers, but you don’t want to use a brush because it’s such a faff? Well, here is the answer to all of your prayers. The My Hero foundation brush from Ciara Daly will make you look like your make up has been kissed onto your face by angels. FACT. Ciaradalymakeup.com

12. Oonagh Boman Concealer

Nope, this is not a beauty product for aliens or Zoe Saldana in Avatar. This green concealer by Oonagh Boman can be used on your own human face. It’s a colour corrector, so the green counteracts any redness on your skin. So it’s perfect to cover up any broken capillaries or rosacea or general redness. Oonaghbomanmakeup.com

13. Barely Cosmetics

Barely Cosmetics create a range of make up and tanning application products. And honestly, if you saw one of these sponges in isolation, you probably wouldn’t have a clue what it is. But they are little miracle workers. The sponges and mitts are non-absorbing, which means you’re not wasting any product which might otherwise get soaked into the sponge. Clever or what? Barelycosmetics.com

14. Scent Cosmetics

Ok how much fun does this stuff look?! It’s soap that is made into Lego shapes by Scent Cosmetics. Again, this is yet another ethical, organic brand (who knew Northern Ireland loved the planet so much?) 10% of all you spend goes to Stepping Stones charity in Nigeria. Scent Cosmetics also take soap making workshops AND private lessons, as well as facilitating soap parties for children. Scentcosmetics.com

15. The Beardy Beard Co. 

As beauty products aren’t just for ladies – (can I get a shoutout for metrosexuality?), we thought we’d include a couple of brands for the boys. Unless any of you ladies have facial hair you want to groom, which is cool. We’re liberal people. Annnyyywaaayy. Let me introduce you to The Beardy Beard Co (what a name, BTW), who create luxury balms, oils and combs to keep your facial fuzz in tip top condition. The packaging is so attractive and the products sound so delicious (to smell) that it kind of makes me wish I had a beard. Thebeardybeard.co

Thanks for reading and remember – sharing is caring.

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There’s a weird thing that happens to people who leave Northern Ireland for a while…

(There’s also a lot of weird things that happen to people who stay IN Northern Ireland, but that’s a story for another time.)

These people who leave suddenly become obsessed with local food. It’s flippin odd, isn’t it? All their lives, they took our unique culinary delights for granted, but as soon as they escape NI they start smelling cheese and onion Tayto everywhere they go and they lie awake at night desperately craving the overwhelming sense of savoury joy that one can only experience when biting into a buttery piece of potato bread.

Here at NI Parcels, we think there is a severe lack of appreciation for our local food. How often do you hear people declaring their undying love for Veda bread? Not often enough we say! NI food is great, it’s the best actually. And we want everyone to recognise their gratitude right this minute, before it’s too late and they’ve gone and left the country and they have to ask their families to send them a bag of Comber spuds in the post.

So without any further ado…. we present the 50 BEST Northern Irish foods. (WARNING the following list may contain potato.)

50. Starting the list is DULSE. It’s a controversial one. Some hate it, whilst others think it’s the best thing since sliced seaweed.

49. Moy Park Chicken. And the odd, but slightly pleasant smell that the factories have contributed to Ballymena, Portadown and Dungannon.

48. A cupcake from Lily Pink Bakery on a Sunday at St. George’s Market.

Lilypinkbakery.com

47. Creamola Foam at a child’s birthday party in the 1980s.

46. Fancy bread baked into interesting shapes from The Yellow Door.

45. Paris buns. Which were given that name because the blind person who created them thought they looked like the Eiffel Tower…

Northsouthfood.com

44. Mashed potato from Mash Direct.

43. A milkshake from Maggie May’s. Although technically not a food, it has enough calories to feed a family of five for three weeks.

42. Pop Notch Popcorn.

41. A monster of a burger from Alley Cat, Belfast. If you don’t feel your ateries clogging with every bite, you’re not doing it right.

40. Fish and chips from John Dory’s. Every fish is caught, gutted, battered and fried with love.

39. Cured meats (and cheese, and olives and basically everything) from Sawer’s, Belfast.

38. Mackle’s Ice Cream from Portadown. Legend has it, the ice cream machine is 4,000 years old. 

@glencartmill on Instagram

37. Cabrito from Broughgammon Farm. And if you don’t know what Cabrito is, there’s a fairly prominent clue in this photo. (It’s goat.)

 36. Boxty. For those under the age of 85, this is a potato pancake that reminds all old people of when they were too poor to afford anything else.

35.  Old fashioned sweets from Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory. 

34. A bun from Ditty’s Bakery, Castledawson.

33. A burrito from Boojum. 

32. Clandeboye yoghurt.

31. Golden Cow butter. Lathered on absolutely anything.

30. Skea Eggs.

29. Ballyblue Brie from Fivemiletown Creamery.

28. Portavogie prawns.

somuchpun.com

27. Wheaten bread from Genesis Crafty.

26.  Fish supper from the Pit Stop, Kilkeel.

25. Fusco’s ice cream.

24. Fish on a Friday, bought from St George’s Market.

23. A big sticky gravy ring.

22. Warm dinky doughnuts, eaten whilst freezing your ballicks aff at Nutt’s Corner.

21.  Churros and Nutella from the Belfast Christmas Market. But they only taste good if you’ve queued for an hour to get in and for another hour to order them.

20. Foster’s Chocolate bought from any sort of fair or market across the country.

19. Van the man’s favourite – Snow Ball buns.

18. Barnbrack. That’s bread with dried fruit in it for anyone who’s not elderly and still has all their own teeth.

17. Coleraine Cheddar. Hands up if you remember this absolute beezer of an ad.

 16.  A pastie bap. Preferably one that looks like it could be some sort of disease.

15. A Northern Irish child’s most dreaded family meal, champ and gammon.

mscellania.blogspot.com

14.  Maud’s Pooh Bear ice cream.

13. Yellow Man. Because why wouldn’t you willingly digest something that luminous?

12. Fifteens.

11. Soda Bread.

10. Dale Farm ice lollies, as soon as the sun comes out.

9. Veda bread.

8. Comber spuds.

7. Cookstown sasseejez.

6. A Belfast bap.

@belfastbapco on Twitter

5. Potato bread.

4. An Ulster fry that’s literally shining from the amount of grease.

3. Tayto cheese and onion. The REAL version.

2. Your granny’s homemade stew, which looks like vomit in a bowl but tastes like a hug for your insides.

1. Nutty Krust!

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In case you haven’t noticed, Northern Ireland is small.

It’s really small. For instance, did you know you could walk the whole way from Enniskillen to Belfast in just 27 hours? I mean you’d probably freeze to death or just give up after an hour and go to the pub, but still – it can be done.

And, because NI is so miniscule, there is no reason NOT to experience every single glorious thing this country has to offer. So if you want to make the most of your time living on this fine (but small) land, we’ve created this handy Bucket List of 32 things you have to do here before you die.*

(*I’ll be honest, this is more of an ‘alternative’ bucket list. If you want actual advice on things to do here, i’d suggest you visit the very lovely Tourist Board website)

1. Let’s begin with the obvious. Visit the Giant’s Causeway.

Internally question whether or not you’re impressed because although it looks incredible, it’s not all that different from the 21 million pictures you’ve seen of it during your life.

2. Go to Boojum because the whole country won’t shut up about how good it is.

Arrive and see a queue outside, complain about how long the queue is until you realise how quickly it’s moving. Get flustered during the ordering process and end up going for the same thing as the person in front of you. Umm and aah over the best way to go about eating it, give up and just stuff it in your mouth. Come to terms with the fact that it’s the best thing ever.

via Olfactoryobsessed.wordpress.com

3. Get a warm fuzzy feeling when you see the Tayto sign upon your arrival back in the country at Belfast International Airport.

Because nowhere else in the world has an overweight potato shaped man in an orange top hat as its mascot…

4. Appear on/meet some one who has appeared on the legendary entertainment show ‘School Around the Corner’ .

It doesn’t count unless you actually sat on the stripey sofa with Frank. I don’t care if you played violin in the bit before the ad break.

5. Buy something weird that you think may not be legal from Smithfield market.

6. Get out of the car whilst driving in the countryside to usher a sheep out of your way.

7. Neck a full carton of Sukie when you’re hungover.

8. See someone boke all over themselves on the Big Dipper at Barry’s.

9. Torture your poor mate who’s terrified of heights by jumping up and down like a madman on Carrick-a-Rede ropebridge.

10. Get a cup of tea with the lovely people from the SOS bus after a night out.

Talk absolute drunken gibberish and feel guilty about it the next day.

11. Tell everyone under the age of 26 about how amazing Leisureworld was.

Feel an overwhelming sense of pity for those who never had the chance to experience the joy of the wee ferris wheel thing that greeted you when you walked through the doors.

12. Spend what seems like an entire summer (but was probably only a week) at a caravan park in either Newcastle or Portrush.

Also, can we just take a moment to really think about the fact that one of the most popular caravanning destinations in Newcastle is called LAZY BJ’S. Seriously.

13. Get squashed to death by throngs of office workers outside the Duke of York on a Friday after 5pm.

via Jenikya.com

14. Visit the Titanic experience.

And get more excited about the Shipyard motion ride than you should as a fully-grown adult.

15. Take a trip to St George’s market and browse the incredible selection of foods.

Deliberate over what to eat then end up stuffing your face with cupcakes from Lily Pink Bakery. 

Lilypinkbakery.com

 16. Try to get drunk on samples at the Bushmills Distillery.

Quickly realise that this is not going to work. Go to the pub afterwards.

17. Appear on the UTV news at least once in your life.

Your mum phones the entire extended family and you all sit through the entire programme only to see a two second shot of the back of your head.

Popular UTV news vampire anchor, Paul Clarke who has not aged since the mid 80s.

18. Compete for the country’s most prestigious award.

(That’s School Choir of the Year for anyone who’s simply not badass enough.)

BBC.co.uk

19. See Snow Patrol perform at least once a year.

Usually at either Tennant’s Vital or Belsonic.

20. See someone throw a brick at a police landrover and claim you took part in a riot.

21. Meet and get a picture taken with at least one cast member of Give My Head Peace.

via bebo archive

22. Purchase five lighters for a pound or some other random tat at Nutt’s Corner.

23. Argue with someone from another part of the country about the correct use of the word scundered.

*Spoiler alert* Neither is right. It’s not even a real word.

24. Demand a stick of rock from your mum every time you visit a seaside town.

Then get bored of eating it after ten minutes because you’ve cut your tongue and your hands are sticky, so you throw 3/4 of it in the bin.

25. Make a clean fortune on the 2p machines.

And lose your entire winnings with a couple of rookie moves. 38p down the drain.

26. Take a school trip to the Tayto factory.

Spend the entire time wondering when you get to eat the crisps. Leave gutted that they didn’t give everyone a free multi-pack on the way out.

27. Get sent home from work/school because of a bombscare.

28. Take your pet hoover for a walk.

@Azzza on Twitter

29. Have a terrible experience with Buckfast during your adolescence which scars you for life.

30. Get the insuppressible urge to go to the Christmas market.

Even though you have to queue outside for ages and it’s a bit of a cattle market when you eventually get in AND the churros are never as good as you remember them in your mind. But still, it’s tradition and Belfast looks all pretty when it’s lit up.

31. Get a picture with the Big Fish.

32. Take an arty Instagram picture of Samson and Goliath.

Via @ginger_snaps_vintage on Instagram

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Have you ever stopped to think about just how weird Northern Ireland is?

For a wee country, we certainly have a fair few ‘unique eccentricities’. Sure, where else in the world can you legally enjoy a fadge, a poke and all the craic in one night?

1. First up. Our newspaper headlines are insane.

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

2. We eat sandwiches filled with crisps. We survived the 70s, do you think we’re scared of a bit of carbs on carbs?

That Wee Cafe

3. We have our own unique version of the English language.

4. We have one sacred rule: suns out, taps aff.

Yes, that is the centre of Belfast. Yes, that man is topless (@MeabhMcN)

5. For some reason, we’re really good at bread.

What IS Veda? WHO CARES! IT’S DELICIOUS!

6. Our graffiti is while creative.

Imgur.com

7. We made Eamonn Holmes.

8. Our politicians work hard, but they also play hard.

Metro.co.uk

9. We have an annual bog snorkeling competition.

10. People come from all over the world to see our wondrous pile of wonderful hexagonal rocks at the Giant’s Causeway.

11. When someone asks you where you’re from, you have genuinely zero idea how to respond without putting your life in danger.

 12. One of our most delicious foods is called fadge. FADGE, for crying out loud.

13. The PSNI like to have a bit of craic.

When teenagers complained about an illegal rave being shut down.

14. We have a sense of humour about our past. A dark sense of humour.

@vickiol4

15. Our Christmas lights look like penises and we don’t even care. (We hope that’s not mistletoe)

You’re making us blush, Cookstown.

16. This picture probably isn’t as shocking as it should be.

@onthefence22

 17. You can ask little children if they’re having the craic and not get arrested.

18. You can ask a woman if she wants a poke and not get arrested.

19. A host of musical talent has come from our shores, like Snow Patrol, Two Door Cinema Club and Brian Kennedy. But none are more recognisable to us than the man who plays the violumpet outside Castlecourt.

Humans of Belfast Facebook Page

 20. Your granny will either have a picture of the Pope or the Queen in her house. But not both. NEVER both.

 21. You can buy home furnishings that look like this.

@havanabanksq

 21. Our sculptures have poignant names.

The Balls on the Falls.

 22. This monstrosity is a hospital. Lives are actually saved inside this hideous building.

City Hospital

 23. No matter where you live, you can have lemonade delivered to your door.

Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

 24. No one else in the world can know the joy of introducing Coronation Street in your best Julian Simmons’ voice.

@atmduke Instagram

 25. Game of thrones employs more locals than the civil service.

26. Your granny loves a good gravy ring.

27. No one knows what’s in a pastie bap. But we eat them regularly in fear that the Food Standards Agency might one day find out and ban them.

hecticium.blogspot.com

28. Burning wood is part of ‘our culture’.

 29. The way you pronounce the letter ‘H’ determines whether or not you’re going to get a dig in the bake.

30. We’re all obsessed with Jamie Dornan – a man who has only ever played a psycho serial killer and a psycho sex-dungeon-master.

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It’s no secret that the film industry in Northern Ireland is flourishing at the moment. The natural beauty that the country has to offer coupled with world class facilities has made A list actors and film crews a regular sight throughout the country. Add to that the fact that we have exported a few absolutely amazing actors recently we thought it was time to take a look at the five biggest productions made in Northern Ireland.

Mickybo & Me

This is a 2004 Northern Irish comedy-drama film written and directed by Terry Loane and based on the stage play Mojo Mickybo by Northern Irish playwright, Owen McCafferty. Produced by Working Title Films and released by Universal Studios, Mickybo & Me deserves a place on our list due to its success in the film awards. It won Best Irish Film in the Big Buzz Ireland Entertainment Awards in 2005, as well as Best Feature Film in the Boston Irish Film Festival in 2005. Another great award of many that this film was bestowed, it took Audience Award at the Schlingel International Children’s Film Festival, Chemnitz, 2005. In fact this film won a whole heap of awards but there are too many to list, so just go watch it for yourself and see why!
Budget: £3,071,243.65
Box Office Opening Weekend: £49,475

Killing Bono

Killing Bono was one of the first big films to arrive in Northern Ireland and make use of the superb film facilities down at the Titanic Quarter. Hundreds of local students were called in as extras for the gig scenes, where they were made up as crazy eighties people and had to dance their socks off on film. The film is about two brothers who attempt to become rock stars whilst a group from their school form U2 and become the biggest band in the world. Filmed in Northern Ireland, it was also funded by Northern Ireland Screen. Released in April of 2011, the film took £112,206 in its opening weekend in the UK Box office. Although not a huge first weekend taking, it did prove that there was an appetite for the film and the local scenes and actors seen within.
Budget: £3,000,000
Box Office Opening Weekend: £112,206

Your Highness

Your Highness is an American fantasy comedy production that was filmed across Northern Ireland. Harland and Wolff paint hall, Castle Ward, Clandeboye Estate, the

Giants Causeway and of course the wonder that is Ballygally all get a look in during the film. Natalie Portman, who played the leading lady even, had a stunt double get naked at a waterfall up the North Coast! If that doesn’t make it a big production then what does?! But to get down to the nitty gritty- this film was also released in April of 2011 and took a whopping £926,338 in its UK opening Box Office weekend, partly due to the fact that the film had a star studded American cast and so had quite a high profile in advance of its release. But it had plenty of Northern Ireland in it too and that’s what we like to say made it a success. Check out the cold hard cash figures below.
Budget: £ 30,651,011.63
Box Office Opening Weekend: £ 926,338

Dracula Untold

This upcoming American horror film is set to be released later this year. The main bout of filming started in Northern Ireland in August 2013, with local extras firm Extras NI providing a host of local people to appear in the film. Shooting commenced in Roe Park, Limavady and continued throughout Northern Ireland. This baby is set to make a big splash in cinemas this year and we at NI Parcels cannot wait to watch it! Although yet to be released, we expect this film to make a massive arrival in the Box office on it’s opening weekend, especially as it had a budget of an estimated hundred million dollars!
Budget: £61,424,873.00
Box Office Opening Weekend: We have to wait and see!

The Fall

Yes yes we know, it’s not a film, but this tv thriller with a star studded cast has been the highest rated drama launch in eight years so we couldn’t leave it out. Shot extensively throughout Belfast city centre, it highlights many key areas of the city. Even better, the cast features more than a handful of home-grown Northern Irish talent. With a star studded cast that includes Gillian Anderson and the now infamous Jamie Dornan, who is set to play Mr Grey in Fifty shades of Grey, this thriller left you on the edge of your seat and afraid to pound the streets of Belfast by yourself. Look out for Season Two coming soon! And to get all financial and serious, although we don’t know the budget for the series, we do know that it has considerably increased for the second series, so watch this space!
Budget: Unknown and on-going as Season 2 of filming finishes up.
Viewing figures: On average, 3 million per episode.